Technical Film and TV for Nontechnical People introduces film students, actors, producers and other nontechnical film people to the technical aspects that everyone working on a film set should know. Author Drew Campbell is a lighting and sound designer for Universal Studios who started out in theater and who was struck by the complex technical procedures and idiosyncratic expressions that he encountered on his first weeks on the set. Topics explained:

Who does what on a film set: the roles of technical and non-technical team members

Seeing a script: turning a story into a storyboard and then into a production

Shooting on film or video: when each format is best used

The parts of a camera: how it functions and how actors can best cooperate with it

Sound: the process of recording and editing

Shooting: the geography and schedule of a set and "getting the shot"

Postproduction: editing, continuity, and the dailies